Collaborative Research: GP-IMPACT: A Geopathway Utilizing High-Tech Geoscience Experiences for Recruitment and Retention -- A Collaboration between PBSC and FAU

本项目旨在改善美国劳动力中目前日益严重的地球科学家短缺问题。目标是将一种变革模式制度化，以实现棕榈滩州立学院（ppbsc）（两年制学院）的学生招募和保留的长期持续增长，特别是更多的女性和少数族裔（urm），进入佛罗里达大西洋大学（FAU）的地球科学专业，这是一所位于南佛罗里达的四年制大学。该模式提出的活动，例如将劳动力准备部分嵌入FAU和PBSC的科学课程，开发和实施探索地球路径暑期学院（EGSI）和本科生地球路径研究体验（UGRE），这将使更多的学生接触和培训尖端地球科学技术，支持并与NSF的“利用数据革命”和“未来工作大创意”保持一致。PIs预计，熟练的地球科学家毕业率将持续上升，他们将进入劳动力市场，并在能源、石油和天然气、环境服务、采矿、研究机构以及联邦、州或地方政府等急需的部门寻求就业机会。通过这个项目，pi还打算将PBSC和FAU的学生和教师定位为符合NSF“渴望改变教育和职业途径，以帮助扩大科学和工程的参与”的“INCLUDES大理念”。本项目旨在改善美国劳动力中目前日益严重的地球科学家短缺问题。我们的目标是将一种变革模式制度化，以实现棕榈滩州立学院（ppbsc）（两年制学院）的学生招募和保留的长期持续增长，特别是更多的女性和少数族裔（urm），进入佛罗里达大西洋大学（FAU）的地球科学专业，这是一所位于南佛罗里达的四年制大学。通过针对PBSC不同的学生群体，该项目将大大增加FAU地球科学专业的入学率，以及女性和urm的数量。作为转型模式的一部分，pi将实施：(1)通过从PBSC招收地球科学专业的学生，修订和加强转学衔接协议（Link Program），实施针对地球科学的2+2转学飞行计划，制定跨机构合作咨询协议框架，以及在PBSC学生转学到FAU之前直接将职业准备部分启动并嵌入到PBSC学生的地球科学课程中，从而增加转学学生的多样性。(2)建立一个新的探索地球病理学暑期学院（EGSI），利用丰富的地球科学高科技和实地方法提供真实的体验，旨在吸引和招募PBSC学生。(3)开发新的本科地球病理学家研究经验（UGRE），旨在激励和留住转入FAU地球科学学位课程的学生。(4)与教师和同侪导师一起加强系文化，使其成为一个更欢迎和支持学生的环境。私人投资机构预计，结果将使这一模式成为其他机构可以轻松采用的模式。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Part 1This project aims to ameliorate the current and increasing severe shortage of geoscientists in the U.S. workforce. The goal is to institutionalize a transformative model to effect a long-term, sustained increase in recruitment and retention of students from Palm Beach State College (PBSC), a two-year college (2YC), particularly more women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), into geoscience programs at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), a four-year (4yr) institution in South Florida. The proposed activities of this model, such as embedding workforce readiness components into the science curriculum at FAU and PBSC, developing and implementing Exploring Geopaths Summer Institute (EGSI) and Undergraduate Geopaths Research Experiences (UGRE), which will both expose and train more students in cutting-edge geoscience technologies, support and align with NSF's Harnessing the Data Revolution, and Future of Work Big Ideas. PIs anticipate a sustained increase in graduation rates of skilled geoscientists who will enter the workforce ready and pursue employment opportunities in much needed sectors such as: energy, oil and gas, environmental services, mining, research institutes, and federal, state or local governments. Through this project PIs also intend to position PBSC and FAU students and faculty in line with NSF's INCLUDES Big Idea that "aspires to transform education and career pathways to help broaden participation in science and engineering".Part 2This project aims to ameliorate the current and increasing severe shortage of geoscientists in the U.S. workforce. Our goal is to institutionalize a transformative model to effect a long-term, sustained increase in recruitment and retention of students from Palm Beach State College (PBSC), a two-year college (2YC), particularly more women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), into geoscience programs at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), a four-year (4yr) institution in South Florida. By targeting the diverse student population at PBSC, the project will significantly increase the enrollment, and the number of females and URMs in geoscience programs at FAU. As part of the transformative model PIs will implement: (1) Growing the transfer student pipeline and increasing student diversity by recruiting geoscience majors from PBSC, revising and strengthening the transfer articulation agreement (Link Program), implementing geoscience-specific 2+2 transfer flight plans, developing a cross-institutional collaborative advising protocol framework, and initiating and embedding career readiness components directly into the geosciences courses taken by PBSC students prior to transferring to FAU. (2) Developing a new Exploring Geopaths Summer Institute (EGSI), with authentic experiences utilizing a rich spectrum of geoscience high-tech and field methods, designed to attract, and recruit PBSC students. (3) Developing a new Undergraduate Geopaths Research Experiences (UGRE), designed to motivate and retain transfer students early in their matriculation into geoscience degree programs at FAU. (4) Enhancing the departmental culture with faculty and peer mentors to make it a more welcoming, and supportive environment for students. PIs anticipate the outcomes will position this model as one that can be easily adopted by other institutions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.